


Unmasked

by queenhoneebee



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Highschool AU, Modern AU, Multi, Superpowers, percabeth, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26869651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenhoneebee/pseuds/queenhoneebee
Summary: A new superhero has started making waves in New York, ruffling the feathers of the supers already established there. A new evil lurks in the shadows, threatening to expose to the world, the real heroes under the masks...."Annabeth smirked at him. She had him right where she wanted him. He stood, his hair windswept to the side, his sea green eyes popping out in beautiful contrast to the dark contours of his mask.'We meet again,' he whispered, his voice husky as if he had just woken up. Annabeth so badly wanted to know his identity. Her superhuman brain was throwing battle maneuvers and tactics at her, that would pin him so that she could remove his mask. She ignored the ideas, and they ricocheted in her brain, like bullets on mirrors in a cartoon movie.She was to use one tactic, and one only.The art of seduction.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan/Annabeth Chase
Kudos: 15





	1. o n e . Chiron's Home For The Wayward Youth

**Author's Note:**

> Please be warned. This story is from 2015 from when my writing was completely immature. However, as I don't really see myself finishing it anytime soon, and it has been posted on my Wattpad for some years now, I thought it harmless to share with you all here :)   
> Enjoy this self-indulgent little story.

e x t e n d e d b l u r b

Annabeth smirked at him. She had him right where she wanted him. He stood, his hair windswept to the side, his sea green eyes popping out in beautiful contrast to the dark contours of his mask.

'We meet again,' he whispered, his voice husky as if he had just woken up. Annabeth so badly wanted to know his identity. Her superhuman brain was throwing battle maneuvers and tactics at her, that would pin him so that she could remove his mask. She ignored the ideas, and they ricocheted in her brain, like bullets on mirrors in a cartoon movie.

She was to use one tactic, and one only.

The art of seduction.

She had been practicing all afternoon, Luke had kindly offered to be her mentor, though his powers of mind reading and manipulation always revealed her tactics to him. Luke had said, that because they didn't know Torrent's every power, she had to learn to block her mind, in case he was a reader.

But Annabeth got the sense that Torrent's powers were very different to anything she or Luke had ever come across before. For example, he could become invisible, she'd seen it. Most Supers with invisibility powers _faded_ into their surroundings, but Torrent seemed to _dissolve._

Watching him become invisible was like watching a fog clear, or a bubble burst, or watching the morning mist settle over a hill. His name though, was implied from his other powers. Water bending. Water shaping. Hell, he could become a literal wave of water, shifting into it and dispel himself to become a larger, more menacing force.

She'd only seen him do it once, but she had been thoroughly impressed, and left wanting to know so much more about him. His identity however, was task one. He already knew hers, by some means that she couldn't figure out, so she wanted to know his.

She knew however, that a Super's identity is their most treasured secret, and he wouldn't give in to her as easily as she wanted him to.

.

p r o l o g u e

**| NEWS EXCLUSIVE | NEWS EXCLUSIVE |**

_"This is Tanya Sparks reporting live on the scene. I can now reveal the true series of events of the kidnapping that took place, here in Brooklyn, just seven nights ago._

_Here in the alley beside Jade Wolfe Chinese, a young Marley was abducted. She was aged just seven. She was reported to be playing in the alley beside the restaurant, as her parents worked in the kitchens. Her parents are the owners of the Wolfe and say that Marley often played in the alley._

_The security footage from the building recorded the unfortunate event, and Marley's parents are desperate to find the offender. However, this task has proven to be difficult._

_In the video, young Marley is seen to be surrounded by a cloud of smoke. This smoke then blocks the vision of the camera. When it dissipates, Marley has vanished, and in her place, is the shadow of the letter 'S' on the ground, before that too disappears._

_These events lead us to believe this to be the work of the notorious Shade, who has now abducted four children in total over the last eight months, each time either under the cover of darkness, or by evading security footage._

_Families have been torn apart, desperate for information, and of course, for their children back. We urge anyone and everyone to be with their children at all moments in such a dangerous time._

_Back to you in the studio, Stan."..._

_"Yes, thank you Tanya. These are truly troubling times. We are holding a fundraiser in Central Park this Saturday to help raise funds and awareness for the missing children. The NYPD have agreed to chaperone, and it is also said that the great_ Helix _is said to make an appearance. Until then, folks, have a safe evening."_

.

o n e 

**|ANNABETH|**

"Chiron's Home For The Wayward Youth"

I sighed as I waited in the cafeteria line. Luke was, I'm sure, as annoyed as I was by the slow progression. He stops directly behind me, like he always had my back.

It would have been so much easier to just grab dinner at some food vendor on the street on our way home from school, but Chiron had caught me too many times.

And I didn't want to hear the, 'You're wasting money, time, and resources,' speech again.

I turned my head to give Luke a look from my side eye. He just rolled his pretty blue eyes and grinned.

 _I want street food, not mystery meat,_ again.

Luke just chuckled, tugging on my hair affectionately. I took a step forward in the cafeteria line, one step closer to my dismal supper.

At least mystery food was better than no food, which was exactly the alternative I would be facing, had I still lived at home.

Long story short, my dad got remarried, and my stepmother convinced him that I was old enough to live on my own in New York when I was sixteen. Though she only wanted me out of the house so that my new stepbrothers could have my room.

Or StepMonsters as I like to call them.

But that was almost two years ago. I haven't spoken to any of my family since despite having been extremely close to my dad.

They had never found a place for me to live, having expected me to _take initiative_ and find somewhere for myself, as well as pay for it.

I had been living in an alley, in a cardboard box that probably once had a refrigerator inside it. I was eating people's scraps and I couldn't attend school. I was as homeless as you can get.

Until Chiron found me.

It was hard to adjust at first. I hadn't believed him when he explained that he had a place that I could live, eat, and even attend school from. It was almost a halfway house.

And Chiron didn't charge rent in cash. He only assigned jobs to keep the place off the ground. His only other rule was that we had to be getting A's at school, and that we had to learn the Ancient Languages.

His boarding home gave refuge to over 400 kids, and I have no idea how he pays for it all, especially in New York.

There's talk between boarders that he gets money from the mayor to keep kids off the streets, and that he has heaps of connections within the city that give him water, gas, electricity, broadband, and food for very low prices.

But then there's the second rumor, that he is the son of a multimillionaire, and that he took up this job instead of taking his parents company.

Whichever is true, all I know is that Chiron has a kind and caring heart, and absolutely loves his kids.

Luke nudged my waist, getting me to move forward in the line. I thanked Doris, the cook, for my meal and moved away from the line to sit in my assigned chair.

Luke quickly followed me. He had for some reason taken a liking to me when I had first arrived, and managed to switch his seat next to mine.

Luke was a year older than me, and had been in Chiron's charge for almost three years before I showed up.

His reason for being here was a lot different than mine. His dad had died when he was very young, before his mother was diagnosed with early onset dementia. She could no longer look after her son, because she believed that he was her dead husband, having looked so much like him.

So Luke sought the help of Chiron. Luke still visits his mother every week, but her condition worsens every day, and Luke was unsure how much time she had left.

"Bit of a sour topic for dinner, isn't it?" Luke voiced, raising an eyebrow.

I grimaced, blushing. "Sorry, I was thinking about my family again."

Luke nodded, "I know. But maybe you should be focusing on your Latin homework instead. Don't you have a test on Friday?"

I grinned, shaking my head.

"Stop going through my head."

Luke just chuckled.

Luke had always been a handsome guy. Strong structured jawline, clean cut blonde hair with pretty light eyes. The only thing that marred his beauty was the scar that spread from his right eyebrow to his chin.

He'd never told me the entire story of how he got it, but I suspect his mother probably threw a plate at him during one of her episodes. He always seemed to be tense and jumpy when any two plates clashes together.

Being a year older than myself, Luke was among the oldest at the home. At nineteen, and as an NYU sophomore, many wondered why he still lived in a rundown home in Queens.

He had a well paying job as a tutor, and many credits to his name for the many internships he had completed over the years, but he seemed to have a soft spot for the only home and father figure he had ever really known.

And Chiron couldn't seem to bring himself to ask Luke to leave either.

Not that I wanted him to leave anyway. He was one of the few friends I had here, and I probably couldn't bear it if he moved into his own apartment.

I shook myself out of my thoughts as the image of a pig roasting on a spit was thrown into my head.

I glared at Luke accusingly, to which he shrugged innocently. But he couldn't fool me, I could see the cheeky glint in his eye.

I raised my eyebrow at him and he caved.

"Fine, it was me. But I couldn't help it. I didn't like that topic. You _know_ I'm not going anywhere, so why bother think about it?"

I shrugged. "I guess I just have no clue what I'll do when I finish school."

Luke just rolled his eyes at me. "You've already been accepted at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton. You've got nothing to worry about. You need to go somewhere that will _really_ exercise that big brain of yours."

I smiled genuinely at my best friend. He had been my own personal cheerleader from day one.

It wasn't long before the hustle of the boarders around me became deafening. The projector on the far wall was playing the news like it did every night, only tonight's report had grown sinister.

Local reporter, Tanya Sparks, was explaining how a young child had been snatched from outside her parents' restaurant.

"Shade?" I asked Luke, to which he gave a grim nod.

I sighed. This was becoming a regular occurrence. New York was no longer safe from Shade.

I turned back to my mystery meat, trying not to let the report get to me.

•


	2. t w o . Mindless Waking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters in this story may have a different sexual orientation than their respective characters by Rick Riordan

t w o

|LUKE|  
"Mindless Waking"

_"I_ _freaking hate Professor Reynolds..."_

_"I hope the pizza place is open for lunch..."_

_"I wonder if Angus still likes me?..."_

I rolled my eyes as I walked the halls of NYU. Students around me were always so self-obsessed.

I walked past my usual gaggle of adoring fans on my way to my Sport Science class.

_"Luke's looking dayum fine today...."_

_"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?..."_

_"I_ _wonder what color his boxers are, under all that sexy clothing..."_

I chuckled at the last one. People always said guys were more perverted than girls, but in my experience, the two genders were pretty equal in that area; the only difference being that girls tended to keep their perverted comments inside their heads.

That's the trouble with my gift. I couldn't turn it off. I heard anything and everything, including the minds of those around me.

It was insanely frustrating, and I've more than once questioned why such a gift was bestowed upon me.

Annabeth was one of the only people that knew, but I have my suspicions that Chiron has figured it out by himself. His mind is more closed off than others, making him a little more difficult to read.

If he has figured out this gift of mine, he hasn't let on whilst in my presence.

For those too dull to read between the lines this far, I can read minds.

Duh.

Well actually, not only that, I can also manipulate anyone to do anything I want with only a few choice words and a gaze held steady with my own.

Some might know me better by a different name: Houdini.

I tried to do my part for the people or New York. I took down small criminals down, like muggers and car-jackers. I liked to keep the streets of my home town as safe as possible.

I sighed as I kept my head high. I wasn't exactly a fly on the wall in this place. People were drawn to me, and that's possibly my fault.

On my first day of college I loosely manipulated students from a few different social circles to be my friends. I probably didn't need the help to make friends, it was just easier that way.

I tried to ignore the many wandering eyes as I hurried through the hall. I was already late, and even though my professor was fond of me, I don't think he'd appreciate another tardy on my behalf.

 _"Castellan!"_ I heard. My head whipped around to find the familiar voice. Will was standing and grinning by a group of girls, in all his blonde angelic looks.

I smirked at him as he broke away and made his way to my side.

Will Solace was one of my only true friends, besides maybe Annabeth. I didn't have to manipulate Will on my first day of college. He was the kind of guy who just radiated happiness, and kindness. It was our mutual love of football that drew us together.

I met Will within the first month of college, on the field. He was a wide receiver and I was a linebacker. Not two positions known for their cooperation, and I have no idea what made Will ever approach me. But I was glad for it.

" _Sup, good lookin? Late again?"_

I rolled my eyes at the blonde boy. Will knew about my gift. He didn't ask, and I didn't tell. But somehow, he figured it out.

"Not as late as you're going be if you keep entertaining your _posse_ ," I laughed. Will grinned, rolling his eyes.

He swung his arm around my shoulder and we kept walking. He entertained me with his thoughts. He commented on the appearance of each person we walked past. Yes, shallow, I know, but entertaining nonetheless.

_"Shit! Abort Mission! Karly is coming this way! Abort! Abort! Abort!"_

I smirked at Will as his eyes widened at the preppy girl walking towards us. Karly was one of Will's many exes. She was actually now hooking up with one of his other exes.

Will was bisexual.

I watched the girl, whose head was buried in her book. She had not yet noticed Will, who was effectively shitting his tighty-whities in anticipation.

Will had screwed Karly over. They had been an item for about a month, before he went and kissed some guy at a frat party. His excuse was that they had never been official, but Karly obviously didn't see it that way.

Karly also didn't know that Will was bi, so seeing him make out with another guy was somewhat shocking for her.

Will tried to hide behind me as Karly passed us, and I laughed internally.

" _You're such a dick, Castellan. She scares the crap outta me. She threatens to cut off my balls whenever we cross paths. I'm scared for the lives of my future children!"_

"Well, if you didn't fuck around so much, you would have no reason to hide, you idiot."

Will just rolled his eyes at me. Karly was long gone, and he had successfully avoided confrontation.

And I was officially late for class.

I swore before turning to Will.

"Sorry man, I gotta take off. Class started five minutes ago."

Will only grinned. "Don't be such a goody two shoes, Luke. Everyone knows you could pass that class in your sleep."

I just rolled my eyes.

"I can always set off the fire alarm to stall for time?" Will suggested. I grinned, but shook my head. Will shrugged as I ran off down the corridor.

"I'M DOING IT ANYWAYS! YOLO!" Will called. I sighed rolling my eyes as the fire alarm set off, before the sprinklers began.

I cursed, turning back to Will who had a trouble makers grin plastered on his face, and the hot light from his palm was dying down with the sprinklers.

"You're such a hassle," I growled at him. To which he just laughed.

Students were cursing all around us, trying to take cover from the spurting water. Professors emerged from their classrooms soaking wet and in fits of rage. They all ordered us from the building.

Will once again placed his arm around my shoulder as we made our way outside.

"You're gonna have to stop with the sun beams some time, Solace," I scolded. Will just grinned.

"Nah it's fine. I just didn't want to go to my med class."

I rolled my eyes.

Yes, Will can shoot sun beams from his palm.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is also on my Wattpad at: https://www.wattpad.com/story/56929358-unmasked-percabeth-superhero-au


	3. t h r e e . New Kid On The Block

t h r e e

**|ANNABETH|**  
"New Kid On The Block"  
  


School had always been one of my favourite places. Obviously, with a _talent_ like mine, school was easier, but I just genuinely liked being there.

It had been my home away from home when my dad remarried. My life at my house was absolute hell at sixteen. I was only a sophomore and my Dad decided he didn't want me anymore, thanks to that ghastly woman he married.

School had been the one place I could retreat to when it got to hectic at home. I'd even lived there in the storage cupboard for two weeks before the janitor found me and kicked me out. I was expelled from school for that stint too.

When Chiron had found me on the streets and promised me a bed and a roof over my head, he soon organised for my studies to continue. I'd managed to secure a scholarship from the Bronx School of Science, even though science had never been my favourite subject.

Chiron just believed it was the best place for me, especially now being a senior. And I couldn't complain because it was an extremely influential, and extremely successful school. I loved being there, even though I'd always been more of an 'architecture' kind of girl.

Design and math had always been my preference.

I made my way through the hall to my locker. I'd come to school as early as I could, because I needed to access the media lab for an assignment; the Wi-Fi signal wasn't as strong at Chiron's thanks to the hundreds of kids he houses.

I froze as I saw something from the corner of my eye. I froze sharply, my head whipping to the side to try and catch the small shadow on the floor. I pulled my earphones out, so that I could be alert, effectively pausing the podcast that had been playing before.

But there was nothing there. No shadow. Zilch.

I could've sworn I'd seen something _slither_ around the corner.

I stopped short. I was the only one here at this time of morning. There was no one to help me. I tentatively walked to the opening of the hallway, touching my hand to the wall in silence and feeling myself go completely cold.

Even if there were people here, they wouldn't be able to see me. In my 'see-through' state, I turned the corner and froze. I felt completely stupid.

There was nothing there. I sighed, pulling myself back to reality. I felt myself dissolve back into my usual self, before pulling my shit together and walking back down the hallway to the lab.

"Hi, Mr. Argus," I greeted when I walked in. He was the media teacher in charge of the lab. "Anything interesting footage today?" I was still majorly creeped out by my strange encounter before.

Argus liked to scan the school's security footage each morning. The neighbourhood that our school was in, was a little dicey. Random thugs liked to use the back of our football field as a drug exchange spot.

I'd busted many an addict in my time.

"There were some loiterers at the main gate at eight last night, but they left pretty soon after and went to the sandwich shop over the road. Pretty quiet after that, until someone tried to break in at the south entrance at about four o'clock this morning," he answered.

I raised my eyebrows. That was more than usual.

"Did they succeed?" I asked, my voice unwavering. Argus shook his head. He was frowning at his screen as he watched the camera footage. He had one of those huge monitors that allowed him to view about fifteen cameras at once.

"Nah. Someone must have called the cops, because a patrol car showed up pretty quickly." I frowned. My mind was wired to be suspicious of anyone and everyone, of anything and everything. A cop car showing up in such a small amount of time? I mean, New York cops are good, but they're not _that_ good.

I frowned. "Why do you think they tried to break in?" Argus just shrugged at me. I struggled not to roll my eyes, Argus had always shrugged off my questions like that. He didn't like discussing crime or conspiracies with students. The Dean had scolded him for it, because students then spent too much time focusing on things other than schoolwork.

It was one of the reasons he'd been exiled to the media lab. Argus was an excellent teacher, but he was often too enthusiastic about his own passions, and it distracted his students. The Dean didn't want to just fire the guy, so she just put him in a place where he couldn't hurt anyone.

"Dunno, kiddo. All I know is that crime levels have spiked all over the city. Everyone's a little on edge about the whole 'Shade' fiasco. It's terrible that kids keep disappearing, but it seems to have given common criminals the idea that they can do whatever they want."

I nodded. "Kind of like a free pass, yeah? Like whatever crimes they commit aren't worth paying attention to because Shade's work is so much worse?"

Argus nodded grimly. "Hit the nail right on the head, as always, Annabeth."

I grinned at him. He shuffled through some papers as I sat down at a monitor. I started going through my research notes. This paper wasn't kicking my ass like it was for my peers, but it was definitely time consuming.

And my teacher was very demanding. I didn't know how the other kids were keeping up. It was absolutely insane, but I guess, if these kids go here, they're willing to do whatever they can, to be the best in their field.

"Oh, Annabeth, before I forget," said Argus. I looked up from my work, to see him hovering over a rather large file. It looked like a student file.

"We have a new student coming today, and I need you to show him the ropes."

I struggled not to groan. I hated being the babysitter. This kid was definitely going to be a snotty nosed, geeky, little shit who thought he was mightier than everyone else. He would be just like everyone else here, who took their entire education for granted, believing that it was their right to this life.

It wasn't their right. It was a privilege. My parents taught me that, when they threw me out on my ass. I used to think in the same way as everyone else here. But my experience on the streets, and in Chiron's home, had taught me to be humble, and to never take anything for granted.

Argus handed me the file, before taking a seat back at his desk. My eyes widened at the file. It was massive. A quick scan of his rep gave me an indication.

He was a troublemaker. Expelled from ten schools in the last eight years alone, for misbehaviour. I was beginning to think why a STEM school like mine had ever even agreed to look at his file, let alone accept him. He seemed like a total misnomer.

I kept flipping through his files until I came across his grades. For such terrible behaviour, I was expecting to see terrible grades, but it suddenly became clear to me, how he was accepted at Bronx School of Science.

He was astounding, an absolute genius. He'd never received less than top marks, always in the hundredth percentile of any test he'd ever taken, despite having both ADHD and Dyslexia.

His file even included a thesis he'd written on quantum theory, and from what I could decipher of his notes, he was completely correct in every facet of his work. His classes at Bronx confused me, though.

For someone who had written a correct thesis on quantum theory at the age of, what, seventeen? I expected him to be in all AP classes, focusing on physics. But he wasn't. he was studying Ancient Languages, Biology, Marine Biology, Zoology, and Athletic and Nutrition Sciences.

That wasn't really the class schedule I'd foreseen for a genius troublemaker. Also, great, we were going to be sharing many classes. Roll your eyes and sigh in frustration with me.

I kept scanning his file, trying to get an indication of why he'd been expelled ten times for bad behaviour. What could he have possibly done that would cancel out his impeccable grades?

I was met with a handful of printed photos. My eyes widened as I looked at, what I could only describe as, a complete disaster. The photos were of a chemistry lab, the tables having been melted with some kind of acidic substance.

There were more photos, one of a football field that had been completely burnt, as if it had been set on fire; then there was another, of a giant fountain cracked in two, flooding the pavement around it.

This kid was absolutely insane. _This was what people called bad behaviour?_ He had completely vandalised and ruined school property. Fountains don't just magically fix themselves, and science labs aren't so easily replaced, not to mention that football fields demand a hefty price to be fixed.

I wondered how this boy had repaid his debts for destroying his past schools. I was once again questioning why Bronx had accepted him. I loved this school, I didn't want to see it burnt to the ground. Truthfully, there was only six months left of senior year, how much could he possibly ruin the school in that time?

I sighed, closing the file with a sharp snap. "When do I meet him?" I asked. Argus didn't look up from his work, just shrugged and grunted.

I rolled my eyes before packing up my things. Classes were due to start in about an hour, so there still wouldn't be students rolling the halls for a while, but someone would definitely be at reception by now.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sir," I said, as I shouldered my bag out the door. Argus only grunted again in dismissal. Then I made my way through the halls to the office, ready to meet the headache that would surely bug me for the next six months.

My only hope was that he wasn't a complete jerk.

But who was I kidding? The guy torched football fields and split fountains in two. He was probably going to have some anger management problems, which meant that he was _most definitely_ going to be the biggest asshat I'd ever meet.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is also on my Wattpad at: https://www.wattpad.com/story/56929358-unmasked-percabeth-superhero-au


	4. f o u r . Troublemaker

f o u r

**|ANNABETH|**

"Troublemaker"  
  


The first thing I noticed when I opened the door to the administration building, was how cold the room was. I imagined icicles dripping from my nose, and glass frosting over in the corners like on the first night of snow season. I imagined lips so frozen they were blue, and pinched pink cheeks, and noses rosy with chill.  
  
My eyes landed on Mr. Malcolm, the school receptionist and bookkeeper. He was staring at his monitor, focused on whatever emails he was reading. Letting the door fall shut behind me, I marched up to his counter. His ears twitched, and his focus seemed to harden as I came to a stop before him.  
  
"You don't have to live in an ice box, you know," I joked. I watched his eyes dart up to me, clouded with question and confusion. I sighed, grinning.  
  
"You could adjust the thermostat, it's freezing in here," I laughed.  
  
Mr. Malcolm's cheeks reddened. "I'm so sorry, I guess I didn't notice," he mumbled. I shrugged, smiling.  
  
"No big deal. Anyway, Mr. Argus said he recommended me for introducing a new student to the school?"  
  
Mr. Malcolm nodded, rummaging through the mess of papers on his desk until he found whatever he was looking for.  
  
"Ah, here it is. Student case number F-1076-B. He's a senior, that's why Argus recommended you. The two of you have many of the same classes, and Admin felt it would be most useful if you were the one to show him around."  
  
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. There were always other reasons that they wanted me to do these things. I wasn't as pressed for time with my studies as some of my classmates, due to my _abilities_. I was also an honor roll student, and class treasurer. Basically, the school trusted that I wouldn't lead students off the deep end, and they knew they could ask me to check up on them at anytime.  
  
For this new kid, checkups seemed like they would be even more pertinent. He was a troublemaker, plain and simple. And the headmaster surely wanted to prove to the school board that accepting this student wouldn't ruin our school. And they could say with confidence that they tried everything to accommodate him; that they put the best student up for the job.  
  
I was their guinea pig.  
  
Great.  
  
I took the files and class schedule from Malcolm, studying them closely despite having already glanced at Argus' copies.  
  
"Great. I think I know everything I need to know about this guy. When does he get here?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at Malcolm.  
  
The crease between my eyes furrowed as I watched Malcolm's face light up in amusement. He gestured behind me, and I whirled around. Sitting in a chair by the door, was a scruffy looking boy. I cursed myself. I prided myself on being a perceptive person, and the fact that he had managed to evade my gaze, especially when I had walked into the room, _right beside him_ , irked me.  
  
I should have noticed he was there. How had he been so quiet? He was soundless, and it made me speechless.  
  
He cocked an eyebrow at me, amusement clear in his mesmerizing sea-green eyes. He was clearly reveling in the fact that I had failed to notice he was occupying space in the room. With a smirk, he stood up from his chair, allowing me to give him a subtle once-over.  
  
He was, annoyingly enough, taller than myself by a few inches. His dark hair was messy and stuck up all over the place, like brushing it was too much of a hassle for him. And he was shockingly lean. I was surprised that this shocked me, but I guess I had thought that the only way he was capable of torching football field and smashing fountains was if he was built like a truck.  
  
He was dressed simply, in black ripped jeans, black converse, and a navy hoodie that said _AHS Swim Team._ I assumed that was his old school. It also surprised me that he had been on the swim team, but then I guess that explained the way he was built.  
  
"You finished checking me out?" he smirked. My eyes snapped up to meet his, glaring harshly. He just continued to smirk, like he had nothing better to do.  
  
"I wasn't-"  
  
I stopped myself before I finished the sentence. Despite not having been 'checking him out' and instead simply 'sizing up the competition', there was no use correcting him. He wasn't stupid, if his grades were anything to go by, and he'd obviously already lost interest in the line of conversation, if the way that he kicked the toe of his shoe on the cracked linoleum was anything to go by.  
  
I sighed, turning around to thank Malcolm, but he had already resumed his work. When I looked back at the boy, he was staring at me pointedly, obviously waiting for something to happen.  
  
I stuck out my hand. "Umm, I'm Annabeth. You must be Perseus."  
  
The boy looked at my hand but didn't shake it. I watched as his jaw clenched when I spoke. "It's just Percy," he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. I frowned, retracting my hand.  
  
"Okay..." I said. "Well, I guess first thing is first, I'll show you to your locker, and your homeroom."  
  
Percy said nothing, so I shrugged and made my way out of the administration building, assuming he would follow. I continued walking, towards the corridors of senior lockers. I passed mine on the way, before stopping at his listed number.  
  
I turned around, not expecting Percy to be standing _so close_. He was so unbelievably quiet. I hadn't even heard his shoes squeak on the hall floors like mine had. I took a small step away from him, before handing him the sheet with his lock code on it.  
  
He took it without a word, before shoving his backpack inside. He then slammed the locker door shut, but not before I caught a glimpse of whatever he'd just stuffed in his pants pocket.  
  
He stared at me pointedly. I then noticed that students were beginning to file into the halls.  
  
"Umm, I just have to get something from my locker, and then I'll walk you to AP Biology."  
  
Percy shrugged. "I can find it on my own."  
  
I narrowed my eyes. "It's fine. That's my first class anyway." Then, without waiting for him, I walked towards my own locker. I pulled it open and grabbed my Biology textbook, before grabbing my headphones, and shoving last night's homework back into the locker.  
  
Percy's resolve seemed to harden.  
  
"Really. I'm fine on my own."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Look, Jackson, I'm going to be straight with you. I don't trust you. I've read your file. I'm not going to give you the chance to destroy this school like you done to countless others. So, start walking, because we're late."   
  
I turned, to find Percy hovering next to me, looking increasingly uncomfortable with each passing student. The halls were getting more and more crowded.  
  
"You don't have a notebook? Something to write with?" I asked. Percy just shrugged. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to argue with him about this. If he wanted to fail, that was his problem.  
  
Then, without a word, I began walking to my Biology class, not checking, or even really caring, whether the new boy was following or not.  
  
I took a seat in my usual place, far enough from the board that I could read the words without them tumbling around, but not far enough that they were blurry. I watched from the corner of my eye, as Percy walked quietly into the room, eyed me angrily before stalking past me and throwing himself into a seat in the back row.  
  
The rest of the class slowly made their way into their seats, and our teacher stood up from his desk.  
  
"Alright class, before we get started today, how about we all show a smile to the new member of the student body, Perseus Jackson."  
  
The entire class turned in their seats to stare at the boy, all most likely judging him for his scruffy appearance. I kept my eyes on the board, refusing to turn, but I could imagine the look of combined horror and anger on his face. I could imagine him wanting to melt into his surrounding so as to avoid the gaze of every other student.  
  
"It's just Percy," he mumbled.  
  
I could hear the appreciative giggling of many of the girls in the class, specifically Drew Tanaka. I didn't blame them, I could acknowledge when a guy was attractive. There was just something about Percy that annoyed the absolute crap out of me. Plus, there was no point in indulging in distractions. I wasn't about to waste this opportunity that Chiron had given me. I wasn't jeopardizing my future, or my career with the thought of a relationship.  
  
About fifteen minutes into the lesson, I felt him stalk past me, then watched as he deftly left the room.  
  
"Mr. Jackson-" the teacher called after him, but I think even he knew there was no point in sending someone after him.  
  
All I could think was that this was going to be a long six months until I graduated.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if this story will ever be finished guys but this is as far as I got five years ago :)

**Author's Note:**

> you can also find this story on my Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/56929358-unmasked-percabeth-superhero-au


End file.
